So, 95 needed by Leicestershire to win this match.

Lewis Hill and Colin Ackermann are the not out batters and Josh Shaw will bowl the first over after lunch.

BBC Radio Leicester's Richard Rae says Harry Tector will play no further part in the game for Gloucestershire with a suspected broken finger.

Dropped catchpublished at 13:13 British Summer Time 5 September 2023

13:13 BST 5 September 2023

Northants 232 & 10-0 v Lancashire 524

Absolutely dolly put down by sub fielder Rob Jones at second slip. Heading straight for his collar bone. Dreadul two-handed drop, really.

Will WIlliams finds the edge of Emilio Gay's bat but somehow he has another life on two. Can he cash in?

Hassan Azad accepts a gift from Tom Bailey as he gets off the mark by clipping a leg-side delivery off his hips to the fine leg fence for four.

He'll feel better than he did making a very nervous one in the first innings.

Lancashire put on 50 runs for their 10th wicket from 30 deliveries.

That might just give Northants openers Emilio Gay and Hassan Azad a crumb of comfort as they stride out to try to avoid an innings defeat.

The hosts trail by 292 runs.

Fresh from his blistering 77, Tom Bailey will bowl the first over for Lancashire.

Image source, Rex Features

Surrey captain Rory Burns believes there could still be a "tight race to the finish" in this season's title race with two games left for his side to play.

They underlined their position at the top of the table with an innings win over Warwickshire, but he told BBC Radio London: "Essex are a very good side and we expect them to do well over the next few days.

“There is a lot of excitement in this group about what is to come in the next few weeks. We love playing four-day cricket for Surrey.

“It was good to have Kemar Roach back and Dan Worrall was exceptional. He’s a real leader out there and is a brilliant bowler with lots of skills, but Jordan Clark also put in a really good performance."

Kent choose bowling coach Simon Cook to replace the retiring Paul Downton as their new director of cricket.

Adrian Harms
BBC Sussex

Another good session for the leaders who are closing in on promotion to Division One

Graham Clark and Bas De Leeds set the tone with their partnership of 206, and then a positive declaration before lunch was rewarded with the wicket of Tom Clark, who became Matt Potts 49th victim of the season.

Sussex will be heavily reliant on Cheteshwar Pujara if they are to clear these arrears, but with five sessions of the match remaining, they face a battle of monumental proportions if they are to save this game

Division One

Hampshire 308 & 171-2 v Somerset 137

Northamptonshire 232 & 0-0 v Lancashire 524

Surrey 396 v Warwickshire 161 & 138 (f/o)

Surrey won by an innings and 97 runs

Essex 304 v Middlesex 74-5(day two)

Division Two

Durham 505-9 dec v Sussex 266 & 8-1

Leicestershire 204 & 73-2 v Gloucestershire 159 & 212

Worcestershire 284 & 145 v Glamorgan 170 & 49-4

Yorkshire 297 & 324-5 v Derbyshire 247

George Hill's run-a-ball half-century brought up just before lunch has helped the Yorkshire lead swell to 374 runs.

Fin Bean Bean and skipper Shan Masood have posted fifties but fallen soon after, can Hill buck the trend?

Yorkshire still have five wickets in hand so don't be surprised to see them accelerate this afternoon and start trying to make inroads into the Derbyshire top-order later-on.

There was only 15 minutes of play at The Oval this morning as Surrey quickly picked up the last three Warwickshire wickets to complete an innings victory.

You can listen to the reaction of Warwickshire head coach Mark Robinson by clicking below.

Nick Webb
BBC Radio Wales

Worcestershire are poised for their third successive win of the Championship to strengthen their second spot in Division Two, with Glamorgan in desperate early trouble chasing 260 to win.

It always looked a demanding target on a tricky surface, and the Pears struck early through Joe Leach, trapping Eddie Byrom lbw without scoring.

Colin Ingram looked to be trying to take the attack to the bowlers but edged Logan van Beek to slip for 14 with the Netherlands international also having Kiran Carlson lbw.

In between those dismissals, loan paceman Ben Allison removed the off-stump of the obdurate Zain Ul Hassan for seven as Glamorgan lost three wickets in three overs.

Earlier Worcestershire lost their last two wickets for 18 as Jamie McIlroy completed a maiden five-wicket haul, but it seems they already had plenty on the board.

A single for Tom Alsop off Matthew Potts ends the session at the Riverside and Sussex will be relieved to reach lunch with only one wicket down.

Having earned maximum batting points, Durham pushed on past 500, with Graham Clark (128) and Bas de Leede (103) putting on 207 for the sixth wicket.

Both fell to Henry Crocombe during a spell which brought him four wickets and final figures of 4-93.

Andy Umeed tosses up the last delivery before lunch, but Nick Gubbins is having none of it, defending solidly into the leg-side.

Hampshire are well on course for a crushing victory here. James Vince and Gubbins have stretched the lead out to 342, despite the earlier losses of Fletcha Middleton, who made 52, and Toby Albert, who contributed 31.

When will Vince declare? That's the question on everyone's minds down on the south coast.

Colin Ackermann and Lewis Hill both score boundaries off Zaman Akhter in the final over before the interval and Leicestershire now need 95 more to complete victory at Grace Road.

Gloucestershire managed to add 33 to their overnight 179-8 before being bowled out, setting the home side a target of 168.

They managed to get rid of the home openers cheaply, but Hill (38) and Ackermann (30) have so far added 66 for the third wicket.

What an action-packed morning.

Josh De Caires wrapped up the Essex innings to register astonishing figures of 8-106 and restrict Essex to a total of 304.

We all wondered whether Simon Harmer would challenge that but instead it's Jamie Porter who has blitzed Middlesex's notoriously shaky top-order.

He has 4-22 at lunch and the only real resistance has come from John Simpson (16) and Max Holden who is unbeaten on 24 at the interval as the visitors battle to avoid the follow-on. They are 230 behind.

Ryan Higgins got lucky with the final ball before lunch as he gloves an attempted sweep past slip and away to the fence.

for Nick Gubbinspublished at 12:28 British Summer Time 5 September 2023

12:28 BST 5 September 2023

Hants 308 & 163-2 v Somerset 137

Well played, Nick Gubbins.

The Hampshire opener drives Tom Abell into the off-side for a single to bring up his half-century from 81 balls.

Hampshire's lead is now 335 - James Vince will be thinking about a declaration later this afternoon.